World Press Photo returns to Barcelona with year’s defining images

The World Press Photo 2026 exhibition opens Friday at the Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona (CCCB) and runs through December 13. 

It brings together 144 photographs, most taken in 2025, that document the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the environmental crisis, civic protests, health challenges and stories of resilience. 

Last year, the exhibition drew a record 67,500 visitors, including more than 8,000 who took guided tours. This year, the number of available tours is tripled, including private tours for groups and visits for educational institutions.

"Everyone who comes in will get a real taste of what is going on, on Earth," said Sílvia Omedes, founder and director of the Photographic Social Vision Foundation, which organizes the exhibition.

In an interview with Catalan News, Omedes explained that every image is verified by experts in visual forensics, making them "straight testimonies of what's going on in the world."

This year's World Press Photo of the Year is 'Separated by ICE' by Carol Guzy of the Miami Herald. It shows a man named Luis being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement while his two daughters look on.

"I think this is a very strong image and a very strong point," said Omedes. "Given the fact that it shows how the Trump administration is doing things with migrants in the US."

The exhibition is designed for visitors to see that "everything is connected," linking immigration enforcement in the US to other immigration stories and to climate challenges worldwide.

"This is the best photojournalism in the world," Omedes said. "It is very important that young people understand what are the uses, the objectives, and the values of photojournalism today in society."

Three Spanish winners

Three Spanish photographers are among the winners who were chosen to be a part of the exhibition. 

Luis Tato won the Photo Story category for Africa with ‘Madagascar Gen Z Protest.’ The story depicts students protesting over poor public services, corruption and economic hardship.

Diego Ibarra Sánchez won the Long-Term project category for West, Central and South Asia with ‘Hijacked Education.’ The project showcases children in nine countries who are denied schooling because of war.

Brais Lorenzo, who won the Photo Story category for Europe with 'Burned Land,'  showcases the wildfires in Galicia. More than 200,000 hectares burned there in the worst wildfire season Spain has seen in three decades.

"I think [the photos] illustrate what fire is to me, which has great beauty," Lorenzo said in an interview with Catalan News. "In Galicia fire is even a magical, mystical element, very present in popular culture, but at the same time it has a great capacity for destruction."

"Photography is a tool, an exercise in memory, to preserve what has happened, to try to avoid it in the future, but above all so that it is not forgotten," he said.

General admission is €8 and reduced tickets are €6. For more information, and tickets, visit https://www.fundacionpsv.org/worldpressphotobarcelona/.